Hi!

I have a question regarding the use of AI for photo edition. If I use a real photo and use AI to edit it, like making it more dramatic can it still be uploaded like a normal image that's been solely edited on Photoshop without facing problems with the agencies?

And what if in the process it includes some AI generated/changed elements, despite being largely faithful to the original image?

Maybe this question has been asked before but couldn't find an answer.

Thanks!

It happened to me at the start of that policy implementation on two images, although they only stole $50 for each image. After that I changed all my images to non-exclusive.

They could have deactivated or even deleted those images but since Alamy had just been bought by a media group, and the owner had the fame for being a greedy b@stard (according to many uk contributors) they saw there another shameless money grab opportunity.

Summing this to big cuts in commission payments, big drop in income and degrading general experience I basically stopped submitting there.

I got negative balance and the following sales paid my debt to that newly promoted to piece of garbage level agency.

Quote from: Big Money on October 10, 2025, 14:36

Quote from: stocker2011 on October 09, 2025, 22:44
What's your source for the article, or was it written by AI ?

AFAIK the merger hasn't yet been finalized. Regardless, SS (and P5) sales have been steadily declining since 2020 so I don't think it could get much worse. And if iStock decides to reduce rates to 15% then they'll have to compensate by increasing our sales to make up it.

AI but I do agree with a lot of what was gathered. Sure some folks are making a killing on SS but for me it's dead. I used to reach $1,000 a month several years back but now less then $50 a month and I continue to upload and my skills are much better. Guess it's the new world and time to find new revenues sources.

Exactly the same for me.

Quote from: cascoly on August 17, 2025, 19:46

Quote from: cobalt on August 17, 2025, 06:25
...

Dreamstime has exactly this system, your individual files can move up to 5 levels up.

The problem is - imagine yourself as a buyer, what would you prefer - a complicated place where every image has a different price or a place where all files have the same price and you can just download whatever you need and you know it fits into your budget.

also, on DT why buy a level 5 when you can get a similar lvl1 that is 'good enough' for your needs?

A tier 5 image on Dreamstime not only means it's more expensive, it also means it been used more times so chances of it has already been seen by people is bigger and so less appealing to designers and their clients.

Quote from: alexandersr on August 14, 2025, 16:55

Quote from: angelacat on August 14, 2025, 13:48
Microvet:  Sorry sounds like a mess.  I'm in England similar problems here, I voted to Leave the EU for sovereignty and to remove the smoke screen of the EU to make our politicians more accountable.  Way too much bureaucracy for my liking. 

Our country is going downhill too house prices, rents, food, heating, water rates all going up, wages not keeping up - you have my sympathy.

Microvet:  I'm sorry, but my intention wasn't to question your comment. It's just that the reality of Venezuela, where more than 9 million people have left as immigrants, seemed very familiar to me compared to what you described in your story. The Venezuelan government is socialist, for those who don't know much about it. The official minimum wage is less than one US dollar. However, people on average earn approximately 150 US dollars working independently or through job bonuses. However, this amount is very little considering the high cost of living in Venezuela, where the average food basket for a family costs 500 US dollars. I imagine you've heard something about it.

I didn't thought you questioned me, I just didn't reply correctly.

In Portugal, we've never experienced anything like what's happening now—street executions, decapitations, and other violent crimes becoming disturbingly common. While we've always had crime, these types of crimes were rare and scattered, not this frequent or close together.

When people began voicing concerns, the main political parties downplayed it, claiming it was all just "perception," even censoring dissent. Official crime reports (RASI) conveniently stopped including certain data, making the stats look better. But everyday life tells a different story—people see the rise in crime and know who's committing it.

Our National Health Service is collapsing. Hospitals designed for far fewer people are now treating many times their capacity, with locals who funded the system often deprioritized. Many newcomers arrive with untreated conditions, jumping ahead in the queue, which delays care for everyone else. Overworked doctors—once highly respected—are now leaving in droves due to verbal abuse, threats, and even physical attacks.

These issues have fueled the far-right's rise, as many fear speaking openly about the problems—except for CHEGA's leader, who does so without fear of the backlash and profiting from it.

Quote from: angelacat on August 14, 2025, 13:48
Microvet:  Sorry sounds like a mess.  I'm in England similar problems here, I voted to Leave the EU for sovereignty and to remove the smoke screen of the EU to make our politicians more accountable.  Way too much bureaucracy for my liking. 

Our country is going downhill too house prices, rents, food, heating, water rates all going up, wages not keeping up - you have my sympathy.

I understand you.

After Portugal's 1974 revolution ended 50 years of (literally) fascist dictatorship, far-right movements failed to gain real support for decades — usually not even reaching 0.5% of the vote. But in the last 12 years, deep frustration over corruption, EU restrictions on farming and fishing, economic decline, cultural erosion, and worsening living conditions has shifted the political landscape.

Many voters, including many disillusioned socialists and moderates, abandoned the two parties that have ruled for 50 years and turned to CHEGA (meaning "Enough"), a far-right/neo-fascist party. CHEGA went from just 1 parliamentary seat to 50, becoming the second-largest political force in the country and no one doubts its growth, possibly becoming government.

The rise is fueled further by growing imported gang violence, including Brazilian criminal groups like the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) establishing themselves in Portugal as well their rivals, high-profile murders in public with Brazilian gang leaders being gunned-down in public just a couple days ago which is something never seen in Portugal, and under-resourced border control who allows Gangs and hired killers to get in undetected.

Many fear CHEGA will continue to grow as public anxiety intensifies. Portuguese are called the Serene People, and we really are, but if things get to a certain point history tells very clearly about what we can do. My father belongs to the last generation tested and I won't even comment on that...

Quote from: tuanbik on August 14, 2025, 13:59
Looks like you are too tired, try coming to Vietnam and resting for a while, maybe you will like it.

Next month I'll have to chose between paying the bank for the house, or buying food if something I'm waiting for doesn't come through. Micro and POD do not provide anymore. At Fine Art America I've earned more in January alone last year, than this whole year summed up so far.

No vacations here, unless being homeless counts as traveling. If what I'm waiting for actually happens I can sell my house and buy one in the interior of Portugal, where I'll have even less chances at work. After the remaining money is gone I'll have no future.

Quote from: alexandersr on August 14, 2025, 02:43
Hi, Where do you live (country)? That's sound like Venezuela!

I'm in Portugal, and this isn't "fake news" — it's reality backed by stats and covered by all major media from far-left to far-right (you want the links?). Over 500,000 young Portuguese have left in the last 10/15 years (Portugal has 10 million inhabitants) because housing is impossible considering the falling wages due to immigrants being willing to work for the minimum. Rents that were €200 five years ago are now €800+ in suburbs, and 3–4 times that in Lisbon. Minimum wage? €800. Do the math — after utilities, nothing's left.

Foreign buyers, tourist rentals, and bulk purchases by groups, especially Brazilian Evangelical Churches, cramming 20–30 people into one house and dividing the rent have pushed locals out. Even far-left politicians admit it. Jobs? Tax breaks for hiring first-time Social Security registrants mean companies hire foreigners over Portuguese — Leica's been doing it for years. My sister-in-law works there and they hire almost exclusively immigrants even over former competent employees that had temporary contracts.

@eyewave
Yes, our politicians failed us, but the EU's been crushing small countries like ours for decades while protecting Germany and France to which fines for breaking EU laws are always pardoned. Any honest leader here wouldn't last long — they'd be replaced by someone more "cooperative."

After All, France and Germany have been funding PS and PSD for 50 years (fact) to insure those corrupt organizations continue to govern Portugal and serve them. You think this only happens in Africa and Latin America? So naive, so adorable... So sorry to disturb you privileged point of view about the world.

So, competence has hardly anything to do with getting work for almost all jobs around here. Age, tax exemptions and docile fragile workers are what determine it. I'm 100% certain the same happens where you live. You just don't want to see it.

Now, delete this one again despite it's based on FACTS and I can provide links about this issues in the Portuguese reference media which is left-wing.

Quote from: Bauman on August 13, 2025, 15:16

Quote from: LouisPhotos on August 13, 2025, 15:07
worse news of the day. i looking for a new job. Microstock and human content will desapear. I also need anti depress med for that

Yes, after 18 years it's time to find a new job... but what? I'm 53 and still have 12 years to go until retirement.

What a sad day, it's the end of creativity, of authors, of beautiful photographs. It makes me want to cry... 

If you actually can get a job you are very fortunate.

I'm also 53, closed my activity a couple moths ago and can't get a job. In my country hardly anyone over 50 can get a job especially now. Companies only want young kids they can shamelessly exploit because of inexperience and tax exemption for one year for that worker.

Plus, the influx of immigrants gave those companies the sames opportunities of exploitation. Minimum wages or even less despite illegal, no work contracts, and when they get a legal contract and wage they get the tax exemption. All this despite the recognized incompetence of the people being hired.

So, at this moment a national citizen can't hardly get jobs which is insane. Thanks m*** f**** EU and your plans to destroy countries sovereignty.

I don't know what will happen with my life.

Quote from: ShadySue on January 10, 2025, 12:03

Quote from: MicroVet on January 10, 2025, 10:30
There won't be any raise for artists even if they triple the licenses price.

Well, that would be assuming they'd cut our already low commissions by another 66%, because if our share stayed the same, we'd get the same 3x increase.

Haven't they done exactly that for the past 13 years or so several times? Increasing prices for clients but keeping the same payment to artists or even lower it?

They cut my $0.38 per subscription download to $0.10 with the promise of higher payment on top tiers. Not only the top tiers payed less than the 0.38, I barely ever got more than 0.10 no matter the tier I'm in.

If you consider the price increases for clients what drop have we suffered? 90% or more? Since barely anything happened to them from the artists front, what is stopping them to do even worse?

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on January 10, 2025, 16:12
Will Bigstock dissappear too   

If it did, people would only notice it three moths from now in the best case scenario.

Quote from: cobalt on January 08, 2025, 22:31
I do see a little silver lining, Getty likes to raise prices.

If the competition from SS is essentially gone, prices can rise.

You're assuming that Getty and SS raising prices means they'll pay more to artists. Absolutely wrong.

I'm on the stock business since 2007 (living exclusively out of it) and remember when SS raised what they paid to contributors for each download every year following the raise of the subscriptions to their clients. And they created the tiers that paid the artist up to $0.38 for every subscription sale.

After a few years SS stopped raising the payment per download, even if they kept raising the prices for customers. And finally they cut the $0.38 per subscription download to the current $0.10 even if you get to the higher tiers where you'd be supposed to earn more. And in all this they always raised the prices for clients.

There won't be any raise for artists even if they triple the licenses price.

These overprotective sh*t is what is ruining the western civilization youth by making them useless snowflakes unaware of the realities of life. The world is presented to them as a Jehovah Witness brochure with lions side by side with gazelles and smiling. Or like a Disney animation.

Meanwhile other cultures that remain grounded are raising down-to-earth kids and surpassing the western kids in school and jobs, because they know that life is earned by working hard and not by being a happy rainbow tik-toker clowns that give up on things at first hardship and still live in parents house at 35 or more, leaching them.

I also, can't access the site.

Never have a problem. Mine are always approved on the same day or the following day maximum.

Quote from: Big Toe on November 11, 2023, 15:51
I was always under the impression that most agencies do not allow upscaling. Am I mistaken there or has this changed with AI?

Agencies don't like upscaled images because they always sold upscaled versions themselves. Just check the sizes the agencies allow for sale and you'll discover that on many of them there are sizes bigger than the original file you've submitted. At least they used to do this.

Hi.

The title basically says all. Is it better to upscale older and lower resolution jpeg images before working on them, or go through the workflow of an image and upscale with AI after all is done? Can't find any discussion about this.

I guess that upscaling before the workflow would give the AI software more detail to work on than on a finished product where noise removal software would already been applied.

On the other hand, working and finishing the image before would make the AI Upscaler to process only what is relevant and reduce the chances of it confusing noise for detail, and thus produce a cleaner result.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Hi.

Since 4k has been around for a few years now, is producing Full HD 1080p footage still worth? Will the AI tools mean that these resolutions will still be useful to be used on 4k due to the chance of higher quality upscaling and editing?

Unfortunately video has always been an after-thought to me despite ok sales and since I don't have 4k equipment I was wondering if at this time it wouldn't be a waste of time.

Thanks.

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on July 03, 2022, 04:59
There are comments in the Alamy forum that this is a bug - an obsolete storage program that  surfaced when they made the changes for the new 20% royalty rate July 1. Several people say they reported it, but perhaps the more reports the better?

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Alamy is reducing commission to 20%?

Will we know if our accepted images are being downloaded in the free collection and how many times?

Just had a bunch of sales netting me 0,03 each. Fantastic!

Just had a bunch of $0.03 (net) sales. Hooray!

You are lucky because I got two sales for $0.07 each.

Where do I exactly find that free collection. Been looking for it but could not see it anywhere.

As for the news I've stopped bothering because I know where to get all the Adobe software for free as well. So you sabotage our work and I sabotage yours. I think it's fair.